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Baton Rouge – Residents of areas affected by Hurricane Katrina may have experienced water contamination or power outages that led to food spoilage. The Department of Health and Hospitals offers the following food and water safety tips:
The Department of Health and Hospitals announced today that public health workers throughout the state would respond for duty on Monday, August 30.
Baton Rouge – Special triage telephone lines will be opened at 12:00 p.m. in each region to accept the calls of citizens seeking special needs sheltering. Citizens with special needs seeking shelter must call telephone number in their area BEFORE attempting to access a shelter. These numbers are listed below.
Baton Rouge --- The Department of Health and Hospitals completed a disease investigation this week in the Prairieville and Gonzales area in Ascension Parish after several people became ill with severe diarrhea and vomiting. DHH disease specialists determined the illness was caused by cryptosporidium, a parasite that can be transmitted to humans primarily through water but also can be foodborne or spread person-to-person.
Beach Water Quality Advisories In Effect for Cypremort Point, Constance Beach; areas of Grand Isle State Park and Holly beaches
Louisiana now has had 59 human cases of West Nile virus for 2005, and 38 of the cases are neuro-invasive disease, the more serious form of the virus.
The swim advisories issued for the water at Gulf Breeze Beach in Cameron Parish have been lifted. Swim advisories remain in effect for Cypremort Point Beach in St. Mary Parish; one area of Grand Isle State Park Beach in Jefferson Parish; and Constance Beach as well as two areas of Holly Beach in Cameron Parish.
The Department of Health and Hospitals today confirmed 16 new human cases of West Nile virus, totaling 42 cases of the virus diagnosed this year throughout the state.
Louisiana is still doing a good job at keeping cigarettes and other smoking products out of underage buyers’ hands, according to a 2005 report on tobacco sales to minors. Overall, the state had a noncompliance [selling tobacco to minors] rate of 7.3 percent for the past year. This is one of the lowest noncompliance rates in the nation.
A review of cancer statistics in four New Orleans-area zip codes where vermiculite was produced shows little, if any, increased rates for cancers associated with this exposure. Overall cancer incidence rates in these areas were found to be similar to statewide cancer rates. The review was conducted by the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals using data provided by the Louisiana Tumor Registry.
The Department of Health and Hospitals Office of Public Health has awarded a $6 million loan to Ward Two Water District of Livingston Parish Water System to help the community improve its drinking water. The loan was completed on Tuesday, July 12.
Children across the state will begin the new school year on a healthy note, following a three-day mass vaccination exercise designed to bring school-aged children up to date on their required immunizations.